Large Scale Central

Piko switches?

I’m adding to a passing siding on my RR and I have a pair of Piko curved switches that I bought for another area that will work here instead.

This part of the RR is more or less on raised bench work. I really like the looks and idea of these curved switches but I’m a bit concerned about using them because I will have to custom cut several pieces of track and add to the bench work to accommodate them.

Has anyone used these curved switches and had any problems with them?

Hi Todd first i do not have the curved switch you have. But i do have some new Piko switches and the guard rail flangeways are way wide. So just saying check yours first before you install. easier to fix.

cheers richard

Supposed to be made by the same company that makes the LGB switches and track. I have 4 10ft ones and although I do not have a layout I laid some track down and ran trains back and forth through them sometime at Lionel speeds and they didn’t cause any problems. Fancy testing, I know, but they seemed to work fine, no bumping going over frogs and no picking the points. My.02c

Thanks Richard and Pete.

I had bought a pair of these switches preowned fur use in another spot but they didn’t work out and were put on the shelf for a later project.

I ran a typical truck through each one and it bound up, both switches were way out of gauge through the points. They were too tight.

No wonder the switches were half price.

I fixed them and they will be heading outside for installation soon.

Pete, you are using the Piko R7 or the R5?

Did you / how did you shim the frog/guard rail?

Greg

If made by LGB (really Marklin in Hungary) the box should state made in Hungary.

Gee, the stuff I make when I am hungry tends to be a little bit off too…

Geeze David, I know what “radicalized” means, and now I know what “roosterized” means from your post!

Greg

Naw Gregg. I was always a bit off. Long before I met the Rooster. I was even banned from replying on the company email system at my last job, for like 2 months, because of my “colorful” responses.

Of course, it goes without saying; you guys checked every wheel set to see if they were in gauge also…!!!

…I just know that you did…

Greg, R7 turnouts, out of the box, laid them on the carpet with some straight and some curves and ran a train across them both ways I have a mix of USA , Aristo and Bachmann cars and my USA loco. All are truck mounted factory couplers. I readily acknowledge that this is no where near any kind of scientific test, but I just wanted to see how things would work.After a solid hour of everything from real slow to Lionel Speeds no problems were encountered. This I am sure means that when I get them actually outside on a layout there will be a problem.

Fred Have not done a thing to any car I own except put it on track and play.